Archive for the 'John Caldelaria' Tag Under 'Angels' Category

As part of the Angels 50th anniversary celebration, former Angels will deliver the ceremonial first pitches at all 81 of the ballclub's regular-season home games.

The Angels are releasing the names of the returning honorary alumni one homestand at a time, and this nine-game homestand that begins today (June 3) and runs through Sunday, June 12, is one of the most star-studded. (A slide show with a game-by-game preview of first pitchers, promotions, special events and giveaways on the Angels page.)

Here's the lineup:

* Friday, June 3 vs. New York Yankees (7:05 p.m.) – Mike Witt. The 6-foot-7 right-hander with a famous curveball made his major league debut with the Angels in 1981 when he was just 20 years old. Born in Fullerton, Witt played 10 seasons with the Angels before finishing his career with this night's opponent, the New York Yankees (1990-91, 1993). A two-time All-Star (1986, 1987) with the Angels, Witt had a breakout season in 1984, pitching a perfect game on Sept. 30, 1984 versus Texas. His best season statistically came in 1986, pitching 269.0 innings (AL second), posting 208 strikeouts (AL fifth) and recording 18 victories (AL fourth) and 10 losses, with a 2.84 ERA (AL third).

* Saturday, June 4 vs. New York Yankees (6:05 p.m.) – Dean Chance. A member of the inaugural 1961 Angels team, the right-hander from an Ohio farm became one of the franchise's first star and its first Cy Young winner in 1964. (Bartolo Colon in 2005 became the only other Angels' Cy Young winner.) In 1964, Chance, who was known for his unorthodox back-to-catcher windup and his off-the-field escapades with playboy pitcher Bo Belinsky, started 5-5 at the All-Star break, went on to win 15 of his final 19 games and posted a 20-9 record (11 shutouts) and an 1.65 ERA.